a witness before congress. >> the senate is expected to do its latest dance today voting on two bills that look to have a zero percent chance of passing. >> we're going to be watching which members of either party, if any, peel off. >> remind each senator of the words of jesus of nazareth ain luke 10:7, those who work deserve their pay. >> white house is bracing for this shutdown to stretch into february, even into march. officials here asking agency leaders to give them a list of programs that could be impacted. >> we have controllers reporting to us that they're making mistakes when they are giving clearances, clearing planes in places where they shouldn't be clearing them. >> there are reports that there are some federal workers who are going to homeless shelters to get food. >> well, i know they are and i don't really quite understand why. >> this is so much bigger than any one person. it is a little bit of pain but it's going to be for the future of our country. >> once i get behind that room door, i'm crying my eyes out. and i'm, like, i promised them you will never be homeless again. >> what could happen to your family in the shutdown continues? >> i could lose my house. >> you could lose your home? >> rare reversal by the president as he backs down from that battle with house speaker nancy pelosi overnight. tweeting he's going to do the state of the union address when the shutdown is over. >> i'm glad we have that off the table because it was about the least important thing we had to talk about. we have to talk about opening up government. >> it was a low point i think in history for the speaker of the house to uninvite the president of the united states. >> an incredible amount to talk about this hour. we start with this breaking news. the lawyer for president trump's former personal attorney michael cohen telling msnbc his client will honor the subpoena he's been served to testify before the senate intelligence committee. it is a major development after cohen canceled testimony scheduled in the house. worried, he said, about the safety of his family. when lanny davis spoke with msnbc's andrea mitchell last hour, he also said cohen's appearance's contingent on getting lawmakers' assurance that the cohens will be protected. arguing statements by the president are threats. >> it's about your attacking his father-in-law, mr. trump. mr. giuliani, you attack his father-in-law and allude to him being a criminal because he's from the ukraine. this is classic mob technique to send a signal to the individual who mr. trump has called a rat for telling the truth. that word "rat" comes directly out of organized crime. >> let's go right to intelligence reporter ken dilanian. what more do we know about this major move by senate intel? >> my sources tell me this subpoena reflects the mixed feelings. on the one hand, they are disgusted by the president's behavior. they firmly believe that the president is engaged in mafia-like tactics and is engaged in whimpering tampering. but they're not convinced that threats is the reason cohen postponed his testimony. they feel cohen has an obligation to talk to him about not only what happened behind the scenes in the trump campaign but about the russia investigation. because he's testified before and he lied to the senate intelligence committee. so they don't feel like whatever arrangement he has with federal prosecutors should impact the test money he should give before their committee and the american public. >> so he is willing, right, also, and i think lanny davis pointed this out, they did not cancel, he just wants to be able to make these arrangements. how complicated could this be at this point? >> i think the whole personal security thing is a bit overblown. the capitol is a secure building. very senior officials testify there all the time. the cia director. the secretary of defense. there are capitol police. there are metal detectors. they can protect witnesses. that's why a lot of democrats were a bit suspicious about this. the idea that the reason cohen postponed was because of personal threats. they're more concerned about was this a legal strategy. perhaps davis wants cohen to testify but his criminal lawyer is worried. because after all if cohen lies to congress again, in any fashion, he could be charged, he could be subject to further criminal penalties. so he's putting himself in some jeopardy and he's going to be forced or at least pressed on answering questions he may not want to answer about the russia investigation and about the southern district matter because he hopes to get a downward departure in his sentence from the southern district. but there's -- as a possibility, if he cooperates further, prosecutors can go to the judge and ask for a reduced sentence. >> i want to also go to capitol hill. where nbc's kelly o'donnell is standing by. where you are is where all of this will eventually unfold. what are you hearing? >> certainly when it comes to michael cohen, as ken laid out, there was a lot of concern about the fact that he's now been convicted of lying to congress. and so i was able to spot some of the key players here. but they're not talking about these developments at this point. turning to the shutdown, obviously there is a lot h happening this afternoon. the vice president is expected here on capitol hill to meet with senate republicans for their weekly lunch and this of course is a strategy session as well. because two votes will be taken this afternoon. one, a democrat preferred plan which would reopen the government short term. does not provide for a border wall or the president's prescriptions for border security. the president's plan has been augmented by gop senators. so both are expected to not meet the 60-vote threshold. that is significant. they're going through this process. the vice president is going to be one of the chief negotiators. has been throughout this along with the president's son-in-law on the shutdown. and so what comes next? one of the big issues is to test the boundaries of what are the votes. when senators make their very first in the 30-plus days of shutdown, first attempt to vote on something, where we've seen the house passing bill after bill to open up different departments that have gone nowhere in the senate. what comes next? i've been told there was about a dozen senators of both parties who met last night in person and by phone to talk about next step. so expect that we will hear from some senators later today. you've got some senators like susan collins who's up for re-election in maine, a blue state. she's a republican intending to vote yes for both proposals. same for joe manchin, democrat, west virginia, newly re-elected. also murkowski of alaska who has many federal workers in her state. she's expected to vote yes on both. as a sign of let's get something going. but it has been bleak here on capitol hill when it comes to any breakthroughs. senate republicans are saying that they will have something to say when this is over but they've got to work with the white house. house republicans are saying everyone should stay in town. house democrats, under leadership of nancy pelosi, they're going to be gone for the weekend, so add some days to the shutdown calendar. there's no expectation that this will be resolved until the new week. so it's all incremental. but sometimes that give us a sign of where things are going. so we'll be watching for what the vote tally really turns out to be. and is there any kind of a next step that will be vocalized at some point. >> kelly o'donnell, thank you for that. can we go back to that live picture because what is unfolding on the senate floor is going to be very interesting as kelly pointed out. we are just less than 90 minutes away from two senate votes alleged at ending the longest government shutdown in history. almost certain to fail. as kelly pointed out. but the consequences of this shutdown are growing dire. the white house now making plans for the shutdown to go potentially into march. according to "the washington post," acting white house chief of staff nick mulvaney is asking agency leaders for a list of high impact programs that would be jeopardized if the shutdown goes on for months and he wants that list by tomorrow as we watch mcconnell. well, today, new and disturbing warnings on several fronts. five former homeland security secretaries including some republicans detail how the shutdown is putting americans at risk. nbc news obtained a letter they wrote to trump and members of congress. they write, in part, dhs employees who protect the traveling public, investigate and counterterrorism and protect critical infrastructure should not have to rely on the charitable generosity of others for assistance in feeding their families and paying their bills while they steadfasty focus on the mission at hand. this is unconscionable. don't forget about the economy. the white house chief economist says the u.s. could see no growth in the first quarter if the government doesn't reopen. >> could we get zero growth? >> yes, we do. >> we could, okay, wow, all right. >> if it extended for the whole quarter. and given the fact the first quarter tends to be low because of residual seasonality, you could end up with a number clear to zero. >> given all that, it's no surprise that a large majority, 65% of the americans think the shutdown is a major problem for the country. putting the president's approval at just 34%, down eight points from december. it's against that backdrop that the senate votes in the next hour on those two bills to open the government. now, the first one, president trump's offer, $5.7 billion, for a border wall, temporary protection for some imgrab thes. the democrats plan would fund the government until february, with no funding for the wall. here's barry black. he's the chaplain of the u.s. senate. also a retired navy rear admiral, literally praying for senators to end this shutdown. >> lord, as some members of our armed forces seek sustenance at charity food pantries and present pair to miss a second payday, something has to give. forgive us, almighty god, for our sins of comission and omission. remind each senator of the words of jesus of nazareth in luke 10:7, "those who work deserve their pay." >> you can hear the emotion. i'd like to bring in eli stokels, "l.a. times." dale is washington bureau chief for the "toronto star." no indication suddenly there's going to be a miracle. they're going to hear the chaplain and they're going to pass either one of these proposals. we see cracks starting to show among republicans. senator gardner's spokesperson telling the post he'll vote for the democratic bill. joe marrianchin, susan collins they'll vote yes on both. >> i don't think we're that much closer to ending the stalemate today. i think it's largely show votes for the senators who need to cast them for political reasons. the president may be aware of that but his decision making seems to be driven by his own need to continue to maintain his support from his base and not be seen as caving on the wall. i think when these votes fail, both of these things being voted on in the senate today don't really go far enough to get votes for the other side. the question is what is next. democrats e understand in the house are expected to introduce something tomorrow that does get to the president's number of $5.7 billion but for border security. no money in there for a wall. you would think the white house would be interested in some sort of way out of this given the stark picture you painted politically, talking about the polling, the tone-deaf statements from wilbur ross. so does the political toll for the president start to mount to the point where he looks, you know, at some proposal as possibly a win? we just don't know. the people over at the white house i talked to, they say yes, that's possible. it's also possible we could go into march. no one really anies exactly what the president's going to do. >> he can't not look at the eight point drop, first. he can't help but look at the fact he's losing independents and then eli, daniel, just mentioned lara tramump. she's not just his daughter-in-law, she's a senior adviser to the 2016 election campaign. here's what she said. >> in term of the workers who are coming to work and not getting paid what would you say to them? >> listen this is -- it's not fair to you. we all get that. this is so much bigger than any one person. it is going to be for the future of our country. >> just for reference, here's some of that pain being felt by federal workers. >> my landlord has made it very clear that i have a week to pay or i'm going to be evicted. >> my chemo. that has to happen. this chemo or the rent. chemo wins. >> this is going to be one month. so if it goes to another month and another month, it's, you know, scary. >> so, daniel, lara trump said she was misunderstood. but it almost is chilling in the way it reinforces what may be the biggest problem for the president here. that he and other members of his family just don't get it. don't understand what's going on out there in america. >> i think seert rythe series o comments, from ross today saying he doesn't understand why federal workers have to go to food banks. within last couple of hours saying the shutdown is a glitch. i think the comments underscore the extent to which not only is there a legislative plan, there's no messaging plan. the president thought that simply talking over and over about the scariness of illegal ill grants. talking about crime would be enough to somehow win this battle. he's i think missed the other part of the communications, picture which is empathy. we know he has struggled to communicate in a wide variety of situations. when both he and his aides are saying this is not much, we'll get through this. i think that's political problems for him. >> we're going to keep watching. daniel, eli, thanks. a growing number of organizations are warning this shutdown could be catastrophic. five former dhs secretaries including john kelly are urging the president and congress to fund the government. writing in a letter, quote, putting national security at risk is an option we simply can't afford. with me now, former deputy secretary of the department of homeland security and retired coast gard admiral james roy. from the perspective, let's start with homeland security, you have worn many hats, but for homeland security, it's worth remembering this is a shutdown the president argued is to preserve national security. what do you believe are the biggest risks? >> the biggest risks in the long term are the drift of the federal employee workforce who gets slammed on a daly basis. the commentary from the president's advisers does show a lamb lack of empathy of the daily toil of trying to put food on the table, while you continue to work for the job you signed up for. the long-term there is there's potential for loss of that workforce that never returned. simply because they are to ttal frustrated with the notion of going to work for a government that will not support them when they need them the most. >> you don't go into public service because you're expecting to get wealthy, right? there are a lot of people -- there's a big story in "the new york times" or "washington post" about talking to ph.d.s for example who are working at nasa who said i didn't get my ph.d. so i can sit at home. part tch is we have an economy where there are jobs going unfilled. having worked for the coast guard, having worked for the department of homeland security, and ntsa, right, people might say even if this gets solved, who's to say it's not going to happen again and again over the next couple of years. so i need to look for more stable employment. >> yes, stability is what we all want in our professions, in our families. this kind of a circumstance just throws, you know, throws that into a serious turmoil. the letter you quoted at the front end of our hit here is sort of the first ray of hope in a daily volume of challenging notions that have been hitting on us for last several weeks in the course of the shutdown. here's five legitimate leaders, bipartisan, by the way. several republicans, several democrats. who have held the job of the homeland security secretary. offering at left a starting point towards finding common ground with regard to this shutdown. if it's one agency at a time meeting at the cabinet level agency, so be it. but the reality is this has gone on long enough and unconscionable is precisely what i think a lot of americans, just plain citizens, are so disgusted that this has to go on. this has to be stopped now. >> admiral james lloyd, thank you for your many years of service to the country. up next, we'll be talking to the president of the national air traffic controllers association about that group's urgent new warning about this shutdown. the risk now facing 43,000 flights in american skies each and every day. but first, another major danger of the shutdown, food safety. the fda says only about 46% of fda employees are working now. 20% of those folks aren't getting a paycheck. today the fifth national recall since the shutdown. this time, it's a recall of flour. general mills announced a voluntary recall of gold metal unbleached flour due to potential presence of salmonella. applies to five pound bags only with a "better if used by date of april 20th, 2020." you're watching msnbc live. shaquem get in here. take your razor, yup. alright, up and down, never side to side, shaquem. you got it? come on, get back. quem, you a second behind your brother, stay focused. can't nobody beat you, can't nobody beat you. hard work baby, it gonna pay off. you got this. with the one hundred and forty-first pick, the seattle seahawks select. alright, you got it, shaquem. alright, let me see. [indistinct conversation] [friend] i've never seen that before. ♪ ♪ i have... ♪ and the army taught me a lot about commitment. which i apply to my life and my work. at comcast we're commited to delivering the best experience possible, by being on time everytime. and if we are ever late, we'll give you a automatic twenty dollar credit. my name is antonio and i'm a technician at comcast. we're working to make things simple, easy and awesome. as the partial government shutdown continues into its 34th day, we're learning that the friendly skies are not so friendly. in fact, they could be increasingly risky. air traffic controllers are among the 800,000 federal employees affected by the shutdown. all of them working without pay. here's part of the statement from the national air traffic controllers association. quote, we have a growing concern for the safety and security of our members, our airlines and the traveling public due to the government shutdown. in our risk averse industry, we cannot even calculate the level of risk currently at play, nor predict the point at which the entire system will break. it is unprecedented. that letter was also signed by pilots and flight attendant groups who are responsible for the 43,000 flights each day. joining me now from d.c. is paul renaldi, president of the national air traffic controllers association. you say the level of risk is unprecedented. can you put that into perspective? if somebody is watching this and says, i have a flight this weekend, should i get on that plane, what would you tell them? >> i would tell them yes. i would also say the system, the safety of the national airspace system, is built off of layers and redundancies so we make sure we catch every mistake made through the system or every error. an error could be catastrophic in flight. ten years ago, we built a robust safety system with robust reporting and action to mitigate risk out of our system. we have done a fabulous job. for 34 days, this system has not been operating correctly. to say it's as safe as it was for 34 days is not accurate. risk has been identified and we're not doing anything to mitigate the risk in the system. >> we saw in "the washington post," they're reporting that because they're not getting a paycheck, some air traffic controllers are taking up second jobs. er there driving ubers. they're waiting tables. i mean, personally, when i get on a plane, i like to know my air traffic controller has had a good night's sleep and wasn't working a second job driving an uber. how much of a concern is this? >> you're exactly right. we have a high stress occupation. we focus on mitigating the fatigue for our air traffic controls. by law, we can only work ten hours a day and only six days in a row so we can mitigate the fatigue of that individual. when they come to work, they're well e.r.ed and ready to perform the mission, the high stress mission, of being an air traffic controller. now they're not worried about mitigating fatigue. they're worried about putting food on their table while paying their bills. they're actually driving ubers back and forth from the airports they work at. they're waiting tables at restaurants. this is a deep concern. because we have a fatigued workforce of which we are in a 30-year low. 25% of our 30 -- our 10,500 air traffic controllers that are certified in the system, 35% of them can re tire at any time. if they keep going paycheck after paycheck and coming to work and spending money for child care and spending money fors go and food, they might as well just retire and they're all talking about it now. retire and get a job where you can put food on the table. >> we've got a second check that is due tomorrow that is not going to be paid. today, commerce secretary ross told cnbc he doesn't understand why your colleagues are calling out sick. let me play what he had to say also about -- let me just play wilbur ross for you. >> do you worry about safety at this point? >> well, i do worry about safety and it's kind of disappointing that the air traffic controllers are calling in sick in pretty large numbers. >> he later walked back that statement. but what was your reaction when you herd p heaard that? >> he doesn't have the facts. we've been tracking the sick leave and there is not a big jump at all. but there is going to be a point where we're going to see controllers have to make this decision, do i spend the money on gas to come to work or focus on what's left on the credit i have on my credit card to put food on my table because i don't know if it's going for another month or two months. that's the stress. they don't know how long they have to keep what they have to stretch out. so are they going to spend money to fill up their tank with gas to go to work and not get paid? or save that money to put food on that table? the other thing, we hold a very high stricted medical. we cannot come to work when we take anything from over the counter stronger than advil or tylenol. we have to call the regional flight service and get approved. if we take my quell because we're not -- because we have the flu or a cold, we're decertified. we have to call in sick. that's the law. we have to call in sick because we're not clear-headed to come to work. you take that situation and now you say, are you really clear-headed to come to work now because you drove an uber for four hours before and after your shift and you're concentrating on how do i pay my mortgage and consolidate my debt. this is a deep concern. the senate needs to vote to end the shutdown today. they have an opportunity. this is a great opportunity. end the shutdown now. the longer this goes on, the more risk is going into this system and it is deeply concerning us now. >> the more tired you are, the more susceptible you are to not feeling well. if people who took cold medication could not come to work here at msnbc, i'm not sure i'd be on the around right now. not to make a joke. serious stuff. we do really appreciate your taking the time to talk to us. thank you for all your colleagues do every day. >> thank you for the opportunity. i'm glad you understand the situation. up next, more on our breaking news, michael cohen just subpoenaed by the senate intel committee. what that means for the russia investigation. and safety of president trump's former personal attorney and fixer. your brain is an amazing thing. but as you get older, it naturally begins to change, causing a lack of sharpness, or even trouble with recall. thankfully, the breakthrough in prevagen helps your brain and actually improves memory. the secret is an ingredient originally discovered... in jellyfish. in clinical trials, prevagen has been shown to improve short-term memory. prevagen. healthier brain. better life. this round is on me. hey, can you spot me? come on in! find your place, today, with silver sneakers... included with many medicare plans. call the number on the screen now or visit getsilversneakers.com on average, we'll live move more in eleven homes. in the world. and every time we move, things change. apartments become houses, cars become mini vans. as we upgrade and downsize, an allstate agent will do the same for our protection. now that you know the truth, are you in good hands? breaking news, president trump's former personal lawyer cohen will honor a subpoena to testify before the senate intelligence committee. now a source tells nbc news the testimony will be on february 12. just yesterday of course cohen postponed his testimony before the house oversight committee, he says, due to ongoing threats against him and his family, from trump and his legal team. cohen's legal adviser spoke to msnbc's andrea mitchell, arguing the president's conduct makes him guilty of a crime. >> once again, he ducks or lies about what he's known he's done, attacking a father-in-law and a wife, to get to mr. cohen. that is called obstruction of justice. the house of representatives and senate need to move to protect cohen by voting a resolution of censure that you can criticize mr. cohen but don't attack a man's family and intimidate a witness before congress. >> joining us now, former u.s. attorney joyce vance. obviously, we'll leave the censure for the political analysts and what might happen over there. his basic argument is a plan was committed here, witness t tampering has occurred. >> witness intimidation is a crime where it's important to consider all the circumstances of the prosecution. it's hard for someone who's not prosecuting a case to make a precise call. but the facts here are the kind of facts that would cause any prosecutor to want to engage in some investigation because the core of witness intimidation involves either trying to correctly persuade or intimidate a witness into not testifying or even just delaying the testimony. it hooks like that's what we'd have. >> suggested, well, it's a secure building. certainly there, he shouldn't worry about whether or not he's going to be saved. is it about whether or not there is -- there are safety concerns or is it about the threat per se? >> first the crime. if we're talking about the criminal code. the president is exempt from prosecuti prosecution. but if you're just looking at the statute, speaks to what the person who's trying to intimidate the witness does. not really how it impacts the target of their intimidation. doesn't matter as much whether in this case michael cohen actually feels a real threat as to what the person trying to keep him from testifying is trying to do. >> rudy giuliani should be indicted or criminally investigated for threaten ago witness. in relation to michael cohen's father-in-law. let's play that sound. >> it's about his father-in-law. his father-in-law is ukrainian. >> not a crime. >> his father-in-law has millions -- of course he's not. he comes from the ukraine. the reason why that's important, he may have ties to something called organized crime. >> i don't really even have a question because that was so bizarre. >> i think we're at an incredible juncture where we're watching the president's lawyer go on tv and spout this kind of garbage. it's difficult, i have to say, as a matter of law, to hold someone's lawyer accountable for witness intimidation. but that doesn't make the behave yr any less heinous. >> doesn't make the fear any less real, right? especially for people who have not been in the public eye before. michael cohen knows what it is to be on the hot seat. his father and n law and his wife maybe not so much. i want to play something. she covered michael cohen for "vanity fair." she talked about him really wanting to testify. take a listen. >> i know that he has been spending hours and hours and hours preparing for this testimony. this is something that he has been looking forward to doing. he wanted to have this have you no decency moment before congress. he's cooperating with investigators. spending a lot of his time trying to tell the truth and ready to tell the truth to the american people. he's not going to do this at the expense of whatever the president's going to threaten to do to him. >> it's one thick ng to have a e you no decency moment. are we likely to get anything out of this testimony before the senate now on february 12th that will be legally useful? >> so the senate really hasn't heard witnesses like cohen in opposition. it's not clear we the public will hear what cohen has to say. as a prosecutor, you never want to see your witnesses, witnesses who you might have to use at a trial at some point, going off and testifying in another forum. i suspect the mueller team will do anything they can. it may be difficult in the senate subcommittee to constrain that testimony. >> thank you, joyce vance. up next, it looks like president trump has finally met his match in washington. he has backed down at state of the union, blinking in the staredown with nancy pelosi. remember that after she took the gavel again, her daughter said i'm quoting here, she'll cut your head off and you won't even know you're bleeding. as this epic standoff plays out, we're watching for market reaction. here's a live look at the dow. considering some of the swings that we've seen over the last several months, not a lot of movement, but down about 100 points. points come here, babe. ok. nasty nightime heartburn? try alka-seltzer pm gummies. the only fast, powerful heartburn relief, plus melatonin so you can fall asleep quickly. oh, what a relief it is! at to cover the essentialsyou have in retirement, as well as all the things you want to do. because when you're ready for what comes next, the only direction is forward. you're gonna love if ythe best of geico.ercials, it's geico's all-time greatest hits back on tv for a limited time. and if you love the best of geico, you're gonna really love voting online for your favorite. you can even enter for a chance to appear in an upcoming geico commercial. this fire's toasty, linda but the best of geico collection sounds even hotter. to vote for your favorite geico ad and enter to win, visit geico.com/bestof. that's geico.com/bestof. we're back with president trump's rare retreat. backing down in this heated state of the union standoff with house speaker nancy pelosi and agreeing to delay his address. just before midnight, he tweeted, i am not looking for an alternative venue for the address because there is no venue that can compete with the it's tri, tradition and importance of the house chamber. i look forward to giving a great state of the union address in the near future. speaking pelosi reacted this morning. >> i'm glad we have that off the table because it was the least important thing we had to talk about, but we have to talk about opening up government to recognize the pain and unfairness of this shutdown to america's families. >> for trump, it was a quick change of heart just yesterday. he dismissed pelosi's request to delay the address, insisting he will give his speech on time, on schedule and, very importantly, on location. why did trump blink? joining me live, pbs news hour white house correspondent yamiche alcindor. the art of the deal is trump's book. pelosi's book is "know your power." is that what we saw here, pelosi's power? >> the president is scrambling to figure out how to strategist against pelosi. this is someone who is blunt with the president, who has muscle and the president is really coming to terms with the idea that a house controlled by democrats with nancy pelosi at the helm is going to mean a lot of problems for him. here you have a president scrambling for a nickname for pelosi. he was saying crooked history, lying ted for ted cruz, but he was saying nancy pelosi who i call nancy, and that tells you the president doesn't even know what the weakest part of pelosi's character and persona is to try and attack that. >> as i watched this unfold overnight, i thought there's an argument to be made that democrat candidates for president should take note of how nancy pelosi deals with the president. he actually backed down, faced not just with a strong speaker of the house, something that arguably paul ryan wasn't, but a woman. this is pretty extraordinary. >> it's very extraordinary. and there's a book out by a white house aide who talks about the fact that president trump was complaining about how he doesn't get the same loyalty that nancy pelosi gets. he said even though pelosi might have problem, democrats tend to rally around her. we saw that when nancy pelosi was getting ready to get the speakership. there were democrats that were talking about challenging her. the point is, the president really is looking at a woman in this role, saying i need to figure out what to do next. the president is not someone who's going to let this go. he's had to take a very big loss and admit he can't go to the state of the union and the alternate venue wouldn't work. now the shutdown. this might make him dig in more for the call. he's saying now you have to give me money for my wall. >> if there's any scuttlebutt there at the white house, who are your sources telling you about how the president felt about having to do this? >> i mean, it was frustrating. all yesterday, the president -- i should say white house aides were telling me there's a plan b, that we have other venues. i ran into the vice president mike pence at the white house yesterday. he said the president has a constitutional duty to deliver the state of the union. all of that felt like okay, whatever, nancy, we're going somewhere else. then the president said we don't have a plan b. that tells you it was very frustrating for the president. now the white house is trying t strategy to end shutdown. vice president pence is talking to senators. part of the message i imagine is going to be hold the line. we need republicans not to be giving into democrats and we need money for the wall because there are conservatives all over the country who are worried the president might give away amnesty, a path towards citizenship or that he might cave and say, okay, forget the wall. >> the most interesting thing about the tweet he put out was he talked about not being able to compete with the history and tradition of doing this in the house. a president who, frankly, has been very blunt about and feels very good good fabout flying in face of the history. >> he's saying there's too much swamp here i'm going to drain the swamp. but i think the reality of what the president was facing finally sunk in. if the president had gone to a border state and had gotten a friendly crowd of people, supporter, to listen, that wouldn't have felt like the state of the union because we've seen this over and over again. so i think this is a part where the president's saying you know what, history and tradition here doesn't matter. there were presidents who have read the state of the union. i can remember franklin d. roosevelt, he wasn't feeling well and read his state of the union over the radio from the white house. there were options for the president. he just didn't want to take him. all this week our team is on the ground in davos, switzerland. here's our own ali velshi earlier today with nato's secretary-general. >> does europe need to think about its own defenses separate and apart from the secretary general. >> not apart from its defenses. you have to invest more in defense. we have to invest more. the union is that they have a long way to go. they are now moving in the right direction. this has to take place outside and not compete things but compromise things. ♪ age-related macular degeneration, amd, i wanted to fight back. my doctor and i came up with a plan. it includes preservision. only preservision areds 2 has the exact nutrient formula recommended by the national eye institute to help reduce the risk of progression of moderate to advanced amd. that's why i fight. because it's my vision. preservision. also, in a great-tasting chewable. the company who invented car vending machines and buying a car 100% online. now we've created a brand new way for you to sell your car. whether it's a few years old or dinosaur old, we want to buy your car. so go to carvana and enter your license plate, answer a few questions, and our techno-wizardry calculates your car's value and gives you a real offer in seconds. when you're ready, we'll come to you, pay you on the spot, and pick up your car. that's it. so ditch the old way of selling your car and say hello to the new way... at carvana. welcome back, a lot is happening in other news, president trump has just officially recognized the opposition leader of venezuela, maduro. hundreds of people gathered to support the new presidency. president trump says he'll continue to use the full weight of the united states of economic and diplomatic power to press for the restoration of venezuela democracy. pope francis asked about trump's border wall. it is the fear of migration that's making people crazy. france is making the place of migrants of its corner stone. a man suspected opening fire at a florida bay killing five people appeared in court this morning. he was charged with five counts of capital murder. police have yet release a moment. today is dr. mary walker, she's a surgeon, prisoner of war and the only woman to receive a medal of onner. walker was born in 1832 and earning her degrees in 1885. during her civil war, she waycross surgeon. at one point she was captured by ketel mar confederate and held as a prisoner of war. after the war, walker fought for women's right including the right to vote and the right for women to wear pants. she was awarded the medal of honor by president andrew johnson in 1965. her medal was rescinded because she was never commissioned as a military officer. she ignored that recall and she continued to wear the medal until she died in 1919. she does remained the only woman to receive the medal of honor. if you have a monumental americans, you can tweet u us @velshiruhle. what's in your wallet? 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